Family Trees Branch Of Mormon Faith

ROCKLEDGE — Everyone knows at least one person who claims to be descended from royalty. That claim may not be as outlandish as it appears.

Tom Coleman, director of the Family History Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said such a claim is just a matter of how far back one is willing to trace one's ancestors.

''If you go back long enough, family lines start coming together,'' Coleman said. ''There were not as many people in the past as there are today. Go back far enough and you will get into royalty somewhere.''

Genealogy or family history is the study of one's ancestry. A hobby for many people, genealogy is an important part of the Mormon faith, which holds that families are reunited in the afterlife.

To facilitate this work, the Mormon church sends ''extraction teams'' all over the world to film records of genealogical value such as birth and death records, probate records, census returns, family Bibles and military records. The negatives are stored in cavernous vaults beneath Granite Mountain in Utah. Duplicate films are available in the Family History Library of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City.

To date, the library in Salt Lake City contains more than 1.5 million rolls of microfilm, 200,000 microfiche, 195,000 books and numerous other records. The majority of library holdings are available to library branches throughout the world.

Anyone interested in family history may use the library or its branches and order records.

The Rockledge center is housed in an 18-by-35 room lined with file cabinets, microfilm and microfiche readers, a film copier, two computers and a printer. It is staffed by 18 volunteer librarians, some of whom are not Mormon but are interested in genealogy.

Coleman recommends that anyone using the library for the first time watch a 15-minute videotape that reviews library holdings and describes the steps one should take in tracking elusive ancestors.

''We're not here to teach genealogy,'' Coleman said. ''We can assist people and teach them how to use the library.''

The most important thing a researcher should do, said Coleman, who has been doing genealogy for 15 years, is keep a research log.

''Otherwise, you find yourself doing the same thing over and over,'' he said.

The family history center contains two types of records: previous research and original records. Previous research is research that already has been done by others.

''Start with previous research,'' Coleman said. ''If someone has already done research on your family, it can save you a lot of time. Then, go on to original records.''

Previous research on an ancestor can be located by using indexes such as the International Genealogical Index, which lists 147 million names, and the Family History Catalog, which lists surnames, localities, authors and subjects.

Coleman cautions that all previous research be verified against other records, if possible.

''The church can't verify the accuracy of previous research done by others,'' he said.

All records are coded and can be ordered from the library in Salt Lake City for a nominal fee unless the records are restricted.

''If it's restricted, it can only be used in the library in Salt Lake City,'' Coleman said. ''Otherwise, we have access to everything.''

Restricted materials include books still protected by copyright, records pertaining to persons still living and records whose original owner allowed copying on the condition that the records be kept in Salt Lake City.

Before ordering records, Coleman recommends checking a smaller file box to determine what records are on site in the library.

''We keep a file on records that are currently here on loan and records that are kept here permanently,'' he said.

''We keep all ordered microfiche because it is inexpensive and we keep records that we deem to be of general interest and will be used frequently.''

''For instance, we have a lot of people interested in New York and South Carolina. We also have a lot of people interested in Irish ancestral research. ''Sometimes, you can find something on-site that is just what you need.''